Central Saanich

The Central Saanich Neighborhood

Mrs. Butler was the first school teacher in Saanich. Later, when a school was erected on the Turgoose property, the Butlers moved to West Saanich. where another school had been erected by the joint community effort of the settlers, on a piece of land given by George Thomas. They also built the Butlers a dwelling house. Later Stephen Butler bought 160 acres of land along what is now the Keating Cross Road. He died in 1885, leaving Mrs. Butler with a family of nine children. Captain Butler took a keen interest in the social and civic life of the community; he was the first secretary of the North and South Saanich Agricultural Society (Saanich Fair).

Mrs. Butler, as well as her teaching duties and the raising of her large family, found time to teach pupils the piano and was the presiding genius at most of the social functions. Her piano, which had been sent to her as a wedding gift from her father in England, was the only one in the district and was carted around from place to place wherever a social event was being staged. She lived a long and useful life, dying in 1920 at the age of eighty. The Butler children were Rosalie Maud (Mrs. Scharschmidt); Wilfrid Stephen married Miss Virginia Rey, Claude Henry married Miss Pearl Thomson, Hugh Arthur married Miss Alena Martindale, May Hester became Mrs. Captain Ludlow. Geoffrey Thomas married Miss Neida Deadman, Gladys Arabella Catherine married Mr. Vincent Gabb and Doris Agnes Victoria married Mr. Clark. Frederick Charles died in his twenties. Could Captain and Mrs. Butler drop down on their old homestead today they would find that on a part of it some of their grandsons have built up a big business in builders' supplies and would be surprised to see the name they gave them emblazoned on huge concrete mixers, on big trucks and in neon signs from their business plant.

RUFUS and CHARLES HORTH came from Yarmouth, England, in the early sixties via New York. In 1871 they purchased 300 acres from a man named Luxon, the owner of the land which runs along the West half of Mills Road and south to Patricia Bay, North Saanich. Some disagreement arose between the brothers, so they dissolved partnership and sold the land to Mr. Mills. From him came the naming of Mills Road. This farm later became part of the property of Mr. Matson, owner for many years of the Daily Colonist. The Horth brothers sought their livelihood in different parts of the colony or province but Rufus again returned to Saanich. He first rented some land at Tod Inlet and later purchased the Gooch property on Wain's Road.

Rufus Horth married Miss Alice Wain. They raised a family of ten children. Annie (Mrs. Carter), William, Rufus, Miss Helen, Alice Maude (Mrs. Norris), Lena Spence (Mrs. Calvert) , Leonard John, Charles Douglas, Nellie (Mrs. Roberts), and Henry George. Charlie Horth went mining and in company with Leech, or in partnership with him, became famous in the formation of Leechtown. He spent his last years in the State of Washington. After being scattered for quite a few years many of them returned to Saanich to finish their span of life. GEORGE LUXON, who sold his farm to the Horth brothers, returned to England in 1873. He did not reach there, however, as according to the Colonist, October 11, 1873, he died at sea with a large sum of money on him. The bulk of this could have been the $11,000.00 paid to him by the Horths for the purchase of his farm which, by the way, was named at that time the "Arlington Farm."

HENRY FRY appears to have leased the Arlington Farm for some time. He also built a hotel and some cabins near the waterfront at Union Bay, or Patricia Bay as it is now known. At that time, of course, there was no road over the Malahat, therefore people from up-island parts came across from Mill Bay in boats or canoes. According to the Colonist of November 1, 1864, he sold his interests to a Captain T. Wright, Jr., for $5,850.00. The 24 vendor is not stated. Whether George Luxon owned the land at that time is not clear. The interesting point is that it was a sort of forerunner to modern auto courts.

Also in the sale a quarter mile of water frontage was included. Possibly this meant you had to be a guest of the hotel to tie up there. HENRY WAIN, whose name is perpetuated by a road in North Saanich, "Wain's Cross Road," came from Kent, England, in 1850 to work for the H.B.C. as a carpenter. He went back and forth to England three times or, as he used to boast, he rounded Cape Horn seven times. On his last trip he married a girl from his native county, Sarah Davis. He was a highly skilled carpenter and did much of the finishing work on early buildings. He made the windows for the old Craigflower school for, contrary to some assertions, they were not shipped from England. He also helped to build a flour mill for the H.B.C. The mill was never operated, but it is from this mill that the name Craigflower originated. The mill was built on a craig and the flour that was to be gristed would have been called Craig flour.

On the pretext that he was going into the market gardening business. he was released from his indentures to the H.B.C., but instead he set up a private carpentering business. This led him to get a contract from a Victoria butcher by the name of Harris, to build a barn on a farm in North Saanich, which Harris had bought or rented to pasture and fatten the cattle for his shop. This Mr. Harris was once a mayor of Victoria and the farm was later bought by McTavish, of a well known old Victoria family. Henry Wain liked the district and decided to purchase 160 acres, located by the West corner of the road later built and named after him. He became intensely interested in farming and coming from Kent, it was natural for him to be one of the pioneer hop growers. He proposed and helped to build a hall in the vicinity. The hall was used for community meetings, but its chief use was as a school. Henry Wain operated a tavern for a time and the first North Saanich Post Office. He also ran a stage.

The Wains raised a family of eight children. Emily (Mrs. Reid), Alice (Mrs. Rufus Horth), Anne (Mrs. Charles 25 Horth), Agnes (Mrs. Newbigging), and Helen (Mrs. Ed. Simpson), Harry Alex, William Thomas. Many of the descendants of this family tree are still in the district. WILLIAM REID was a young immigrant from Scotland. He, too, went gold mining and met with success. He returned to Victoria and purchased land, 300 acres of it in North Saanich, sometime about the late sixties, on the south side of Wain's Cross Road, where the Aylard farm now is. He then sent for his brother Duncan and gave him 100 acres of his farm. Duncan remained a bachelor, but William married Emily Wain. He did not have to go far to do his courting, for the Wains were near neighbors.

William Reid met with a sudden and tragic end. He was thrown from a horse and broke his neck. He left his wife with two young children. Belle (Mrs. Dodd), William and then Harry, born after his death. This son developed a craze for poultry and though he learned the tailoring trade and engaged in this business, he never gave up his love for poultry and finally became a Government Poultry Inspector. WILLIAM JACKSON was a coloured man. He owned a farm along Martindale Road. His chief livelihood was selling wood in Victoria. He sold his farm to a Frenchman by the name of John Joseph Rey. A daughter of J. J. Rey married Wilfrid Butler, son of the pioneer Butlers. WILLIAM H. WILLIAMS farmed what is now the Bradley Dyne Farm. He rented it from Dr. Helmcken. Later Dr. Helmcken sold it to Mr. Bradley Dyne. Little information can be got as to what happened to the Williams family after they left North Saanich. EDMUND SADLER was an early settler in North Saanich.

His farm was south of the present day Experimental Farm and included Mt. Baker Park. He was a bachelor until later life, when he married Mrs. Turgoose. There were no descendents. PETER LIND first operated a hotel in South Saanich. In the British Colonist of May 19th, 1864, he advertises that the South Saanich hotel was opened and that boats are always ready to take passengers to Saltspring, Cowichan, Chemainus, etc. On October 6th, 1865, he advertises that he had disposed of the South Saanich Hotel and moved to more commodious premises situated at the foot of Mt. Newton. The Saanich Hotel later became the residence of Mr. Hagan. The "more commodious" premises were named "Peterborough Hall." Even before he opened the more ambitious Saanich Hotel, Peter Lind in 1862 was operating a "Stage House" where he sold groceries, liquors, etc. He sold out his Peterborough Hall Hotel and business to Eckstein.

PETER ECKSTEIN. As well as managing the hotel and boat ferry business, Eckstein was also postmaster of Saanich in 1870. On November, 18th, 1874, he had an auction sale of his liquor, groceries, furniture, etc., and a few days later it was announced that the place had been sold to John Henderson, who renamed it the Mt. Newton Hotel. As a passing interest an advertisement in the Colonist of June 2nd, 1872, reads: "Gentleman boarders can be accommodated at $10. 00 a week." They were also prepared to receive families. JOHN HOLDEN came from England in 1856. Mrs. Holden came out in 1858. He bought 1,200 acres on the East side of Mt. Newton and it went to the shore line on the East of the peninsula. They had four children-Foster, Genevieve Elizabeth (Mrs. George Sangster), John, Alice Maude (Mrs. Fairclough). A daughter of Mrs. Fairclough married Josiah Bull. also the son of a pioneer. He was for many years Police Chief of the Saanich Municipality.

The boys remained bachelors. SAMUEL ROBERTS was a Welshman. He came to Victoria in 1862 and immediately went to the gold mines. He purchased part of a claim near Barkerville. His partners were Brackman and Mills. He spent the next ten summers working on this claim and then returned to Victoria and went out to North Saanich and bought 300 acres of land from R. Johns. It went from where the line of Brethour property was along the East Road and from there to the water front. Roberts Bay derives its name from him. Later he sold 80 acres of this to one of his old mining partners, H. Brackman. Samuel Roberts married Agnes Gough, who was born at Nanaimo in 1856, one of the first white children to be born there. Her father, a Staffordshire man, was keeper of the Nanaimo Bastion.

They had a large family, fourteen in all. Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. J. S. 27 Reid), Esther Agnes (Mrs. Morris), William H., Elsie (Mrs. McKillichan), Abraham (died young), Samuel. Mildred (Mrs. Blake), Abraham (2nd), John, Alice (Mrs. McNair), Eva (Mrs. N. Hardy) , Sidney, Dorothy (Mrs. H. Carter), Edward (Pete) . Mr. Roberts died 1908 and Mrs. Roberts 1919 and are buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery. DAVID COULTER owned 160 acres on the North side of Wain's Road. He sold to Gooch, who in turn sold this land to Rufus Horth. Coulter was a bachelor. GOOCH was also a bachelor and renowned as a bellsmith and bell ringer. He was an artist with the hand bells and added immensely to early day concert functions and social entertainment. He also taught the young people bell ringing. Living with him were a couple of young Englishmen named Smythe and Spalding. Spalding is credited with introducing the Airedale dog to this vicinity. After Gooch sold to Horth they bought one of the islands. It could have been the one we now know as Gooch Island.

JAMES BRYDEN was a Scotsman and a bachelor. He came to Saanich in the late sixties or early seventies and bought 160 acres of land at Canoe Cove. It embraced most of the area surrounding Canoe Cove. He was a miller by trade and worked for and assisted Henry Brackman to start his mill. JAMES J. DOWNEY and his wife, a Miss Ingram, were born in Limerick, Ireland. They arrived on the Pacific Coast via the Panama Isthmus July, 1858, and settled in North Saanich in 1866. They bought a large farm north of Downey Road, which was named after them. It stretched from there to the waterfront on Saanich Arm. The farm originally belonged to Bishop Hills, who had been renting it for a considerable time, or sold it to a man named G. Thomas. Whether the money derived from the rental, if any, together with the purchase price paid, went into church funds is not known, but there is a possibility that it was deeded to Bishop Hills somewhat after the fashion of the Glebe lands in England. Downey, like the rest of his neighbors, grew hops for a living.

They had a family of eight children. James T., Anne (spinster), Henry, Marianne (Mrs. Dallain) , Sarah (Mrs. Gordon), Belle (Mrs. Davie), Alan, Louisa (Mrs. Warren) H. R. BENNETT, a colored man, first owned a farm now operated by the Federal Government and called the Saanichton Experimental Farm. He sold it to a man named Veitch, who in turn sold it to the Government. It extends from the base of Mt. Newton to the East shore in a gradual slope. Almost at any spot on the farm a lovely view can be obtained of the islands and the Georgia Strait, as well as Mt. Baker and the mountains in the distance. Probably no other farm in Canada operated under Government control has such a favorable position or can grow such a variety of crops either in the agricultural or horticultural line.

CASPAR HERDER had a farm in the early days at the east end of McTavish Road. Most of his family died young but a son Louis, who married a Miss Imrie, was a councilor for the short-lived North Saanich Municipality. GEORGE HIGGS, a bachelor, had a farm of 150 acres near Wain's Farm. He came the same time as Turgoose, possibly helping him with the horses he brought. He also grew hops. He was an adept ploughman and used to be one of the judges at the Saanich Ploughing Matches. WILLIAM RICHARDSON was just a lad when he jumped his ship the "Helvetia" at Victoria in 1863. As a matter of record he was just 15 years and 12 days old.

Whatever he possessed had to be left on the boat of course. Therefore he struck out into the wilds of Saanich without a penny in his pocket. Someone advised him to look for work at William Thomson's farm. Here he got a job and worked for Thomson eleven years. During the years young Richardson was reaching manhood a young girl was also growing up and living and working with the Thomsons. Her name was Mary A. Rabey, who was born in Victoria in 1857. Her parents came to Victoria on the ship "Marquis of Bute." This was the same ship that Bishop Cridge came here in and the Rabeys worked for him. They both died when their children were young. Mrs. Thomson of Bannockburn took Mary (or Polly as she was usually known) while the Lidgates (Granny) took the other child, Henry, who was a mere baby.

Polly and William Richardson were married by Bishop Cridge in 1872. For some years the Richardsons worked for different farmers and at the Shawnigan Mills, then returned to South Saanich and took up land on Buck Hill, which is the hill at the easterly end of Keating 29 Cross Road. They had a family of fourteen children-William John, Elizabeth (Mrs. Parsons) , John Henry, Frederick, Grace (Mrs. Tumilty), Herbert, Fanny M. (Mrs. Wheeler), Charles G., Edward F., Kathleen G. (Mrs. Perdue), Margaret (Mrs. Clarke), Helen Mabel (Mrs. Thompson) , Elsie C. (Mrs. Symons) . They were all a hard-working family. Both the Richardsons lived to a ripe old age, even though old Bill was nearly kicked to death by a horse when in his sixties.

RICHARD JOHNS was a Welshman. He first emigrated to Pennsylvania and worked in the coal mines there. From there he trekked across the plains in company with some of that intrepid group usually referred to in many a story as the 49ers, and their destination, the gold mines of California. He stayed there until 1859 then, leaving his family in Pennsylvania, he struck out for the Cariboo. He worked in the gold claims there for about ten years, soon after which he either went back or sent for his family in Pennsylvania. He then came out to North Saanich and bought a big farm from a man named Booth. It consisted of 500 acres.

It was north of Mills Road and east along this road about half way. The northern boundary of the farm was Johns Road, named after him, and thence it went east to the sea. The easterly part was sold to Roberts later. After Richard Johns died the farm was bought by Mr. Matson, for many years owner of the Daily Colonist. He made it famous for its herd of Jersey cattle. Part of this farm is now the Sidney race track or Sandown Park. Richard Johns also bought 300 acres near Saanichton.

This was on the south side of the Holden Farm (Blink Bonnie) and easterly to the sea. The Masonic Temple and the Derrinberg Farm are on part of it. At his death, or before, it was divided between two of his sons, Richard and Joseph. Richard had the portion north of Newman Road and Joseph the south side. There were five children in the family-Joseph, Richard, James, David and Elizabeth (Mrs. J. James). STEPHEN SANDOVER came to this coast from Plymouth, England, in 1860, via the Panama Isthmus and sailing boat. He also joined in the Cariboo gold rush after operating for a short time a blacksmith shop in Victoria.

On his return he was again engaged in the blacksmith business with a man named Duck. In 18 71 he married Miss Mary Ann Harrison, and in 1874 bought a farm in North Saanich from J. Philip. 30 (Purchase price $6,000.00.) He took a keen interest in farming, especially cattle. To improve his herd he imported purebred stock from the Old Country. He was keenly interested in the Saanich Agricultural Society (Saanich Fair) and was its President for several years. He died in 1918 and was buried in Holy Trinity Cemetery. The farm was located north of the Experimental Farm or the old Bennet or Veitch Farm. The farmhouse still standing with the name "Sandover" on the entrance gate is on the East Saanich Road. The Sandovers had no family. SAMUEL BRETHOUR was the descendant of a family that were driven from Europe by the "Edict of Nantes." Queen Anne of England was helping these victims of religious persecution and arranged transportation for them to her colonies in America. The vessel on which the Brethours were sailing was wrecked on the coast of Ireland.

They settled down in Ireland for a couple of generations then, victims again of political unrest, this time they set their hopes on Canada. They landed at Montreal in 1834 and settled in the County of York, Ontario. In 1884 Samuel Brethour married a Miss John. They farmed in Ontario for 29 years and their thirteen children were born there. In the spring of 1873 they started another migration, this time to Victoria, British Columbia. For a time they shared a house in Victoria with the Sandovers and it was Sandover who persuaded the Brethours to go out to North Saanich and purchase land. He secured about 500 acres. It was situated east of where the airport now is and went to the sea, taking in all the land that Sidney village is now built on, in fact it was the Brethours who started and promoted the site and location of Sidney. Samuel Brethour only lived four years after coming to North Saanich.

At his death the farm was divided among the sons. Apart from having the credit of putting Sidney on the map, the Brethours were among the promoters of the old Victoria and Sidney railway. Julius Brethour was its first President of Directors. At one time the Brethour Brothers formed a company for the purpose of curing and marketing pork products. Henry Brethour, another son, was the first male teacher and the first to teach in a recognized public school in North Saanich. The eldest son, William, went to Kansas. The others, or most of them, stayed in North Saanich. They were John, Julius, Mary (Mrs. Robertson), Henry, James, Wesley, Samuel, Annie (Mrs. Smith), Phillip, Georgina (Mrs. Dr. Paul), Margaret ( died in Ontario) . Many of their descendants are still in the neighborhood.

John Brethour was one of the councillors on the short-lived North Saanich Municipality. THOMAS SKETCH was an Englishman, and prior to coming to North Saanich had been in the navy. He was married twice. His first wife died early. He married again and had a family of five or six children. There were Ernest, Frank, Stephen, Annie and Lizzie. Thomas Sketch and his wife both died while the family were small. The children were adopted by neighbours and some by the St. Ann's Academy. Mrs. Sketch was buried in the Catholic graveyard and Thomas in St. Stephen's cemetery. The Sketch Farm was on the east road near where the Masonic Temple is now. It later was bought by Richard Johns.

EDMUND or PETER SCOTT was a Canadian and according to old reports was one of the greatest workers ever seen in Saanich. It is said he felled more timber and cradled more grain than any other man in the district. He owned a part of the Holden Farm, according to some old records, yet he never appeared on any of the old voters' lists. He left the district and went mining for a time, then back East and got married, returning again to Saanich. There is no record of a family. He was assessed in 18 61 for Sections 3, 2 East. FIELDING SPOTTS and his wife were colored people. They owned a farm of 100 acres which was situated on the East Road about a mile south of Keating Cross Road. They were good living, religious people and highly regarded by their white neighbors.

Spotts was a school trustee for the South Saanich District for a considerable time and was always willing to assist in any community project. They had a large family, including: Charles, James, Fielding, Albert, Wendell, Frederick, Walter Theodore and Julia. They were an athletic family and carried off most of the prizes in the local events. They came to Saanich in the early sixties or late fifties, but they do not appear on any voters' list until 1874, but continue until 1898.

Some of their descendants are still in Victoria district or on the Island. J. T. Mcllmoyle was born in the village of Cardinal. Ontario, 1840. Attracted by the stories of the Cariboo goldfields, he started for British Columbia in 1862 via the Panama route. He made two trips to the Cariboo and then in partnership with Peter Imrie he came out to North Saanich in 18 6 7, and together they purchased 300 acres of land from Bishop Hills. He married a daughter of Henry Simpson (Mary Ann) and eleven children were born to them. They were: James Henry, Nellie (Mrs. Post), Charles W., Walter Frank, George, Fred T., Emma (Mrs. Thomson), Alma Beatrice (Mrs. Edwards), Bert A. and Robert (twins). J. T. Mcllmoyle was one of the promoters of the Saanich Agricultural Society (Saanich Fair), and held different offices in the Society. He was Churchwarden of Patricia Bay Church, Holy Trinity, for fifteen years and represented Saanich District in the Legislature from 1878 to 1882.

He was also a member of the school board for many years. Apart from these civic duties he was an ardent member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. This was a benevolent as well as a fraternal society. He was Master Workman of the Saanich Lodge No. 89 and represented this district at their Supreme or Grand Lodge. He was also elected Grand Secretary of British Columbia in 1895. The Mcllmoyle and Imrie farm is now also a part of the airport. It was near the old Centre Road and north along the Mills farm to Mills Road. J. T. Mcllmoyle lived to the great age of 92 years. Many of his descendants are still in the district.

JOHN SLUGGETT was born in Thornbury, Devonshire, England, in 1829, as was his wife, Miss Fanny Down, born 1835. Shortly after their wedding in 1854 they emigrated to Canada. Their first home was in Guelph, Ontario. From here they moved to Owen Sound, then to Elderslie, where John Sluggett took up farming. All their children were born in Ontario. Annie (later Mrs. J. W. Thomson), at Guelph, John and George at Owen Sound and Fanny Amelia (Mrs. Pitzer), Robert, Frederick and Rose (Mrs. Harry Tanner), at Elderslie. Hearing glowing reports of the West ·Coast of Canada, John Sluggett again pulled up stakes in 1875 and came to 33 Vancouver Island and to Saanich.

Being favorably impressed with what he saw, he purchased for a start 700 acres from W. G. Smith, a Hudson's Bay man, for $7.50 an acre. He immediately returned East and brought out the entire family. If acquiring land would be a vice, then it would appear that this was the only one John Sluggett indulged in, for he was a very religious man and a strong temperance advocate. In addition to his original purchase he acquired more land and at his death his estate was nearly 1100 acres. It comprised practically all of the area, or at least two-thirds of present day Brentwood and eastward to the East Road. Among his religious activities were helping to establish the Calvary Baptist Church in Victoria, organizing in cooperation with the Methodists a Sunday school and church at Shady Creek.

The Baptist Church at Brentwood was built and named to his memory. He was a good farmer and is credited with operating the first threshing machine (horse powered) in the district. He was an enthusiastic member of the Agricultural Society and served as its President for a time. He was also interested in politics and contested the local riding as a Liberal and it is claimed he was the first Liberal candidate to save his deposit, though defeated. He and George Stelly donated half an acre each for the old West Saanich School, the first public school in that part of Saanich. In addition he was Justice of the Peace for many years and also owned and operated the Sluggett Post Office.

Many of his descendants are living in the district and some are, or have, bought back parts of the estate at a fancy price, that a:nce belonged to their ancestor. He died in 1909 and his wife in 1904. They are both buried in Shady Creek Cemetery. JOHN FURZE was from Devonshire, England, and a marine on H.M.S. Forward. This was the ship that bombarded Kuper Island Indian villages as a punishment to them for the massacre of some whites. He remained with the crew of the Forward for some time while based at Esquimalt. He then took his discharge and worked around Craigflower and then came out to Saanich.

He does not appear to have owned any land, yet he is shown on the voters' list of Saanich in 1877. As a farm laborer and helper he had at some time or other 34 worked for nearly every farmer in the district. It is said of him that he was a thoroughly good-hearted, generous old man. At the age of 85 he was knocked down by a car. The accident killed him. He was buried in the Shady Creek Cemetery, February 2nd, 1915. The funeral was under the auspices of the Orange Lodge of Saanichton. He was a devoted member of this Order. There are no existing records of a wife or family. LOUIS TRUDELLE was a French-Canadian who worked for the H.B.C. at one of their northern posts. His children were born in the North. Two of his daughters became Mrs. Marcotte and Mrs. Papillot. He owned a farm east of the East Road and along what is now Mt. Newton Cross Road. Part of present-day Saanichton is built on a portion of it. He is credited with having planted the first apple trees in the district. He does not appear on any voters' list but he is on the assessment roll of 18 64. He later went to live on San Juan Island after having sold his farm to an American by the name of Sloan. SLOAN, who bought the Trudelle farm, did not live there very long. He either died or left the place before dying. His widow married a Noel Leclaire.

EDWIN JOHN bought the Sloan Farm in 1869, but it was in 1851 that he left his native Wales with his young wife and baby son Robert for the mines in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. They stayed there until 1853, when they left for California by the Nicaragua route to San Francisco. From there they went to the Forest Hill mines, then to Virginia City in Nevada. In 18 64 they decided to try their luck in the Cariboo. By this time they had three children. They embarked on the "S.S. Brother Jonathon" and after a rough trip they made Esquimalt Harbour.

From Victoria they took boats to Yale. From here they made the journey to the Cariboo on foot. They came back to Victoria for the winter. Edwin John went back alone in the spring, but the whole family returned together again in 1865, this time travelling by their own horse and wagon as far as Van Winkle. They sold their horse and wagon here and again set out on foot to Barkerville. They got an addition to the family, "Edwin," at Stout's Gulch in 1866. They returned to Victoria in 1868 and in 1869 they came out to Saanich. Mrs. John died in 1883 and Edwin John in 1910. They are both buried in St. Stephen's cemetery. Their children were Robert F., Elizabeth A. (Mrs. Fell), Bedlington J., Edwin R., Katherine. Their eldest son Robert was a tax collector in Saanich and later a Member of Parliament for the Saanich District.

He was also Warden of the Provincial Jail in Victoria for many years. ON HING was Chinese and is mentioned here not as a resident of the Saanich District but rather as a reminder of the service he rendered to the early pioneers. There was a succession of On Hings but the original had an eye missing. At first he peddled with an old horse and later with a team and wagon. He bought butter, eggs and chicken from the farmers, mostly on a barter basis. He was supposed to have carried a wonderful stock of dress goods, groceries, etc., and when one considers the rough trails and the difficulty of getting to town he must have been most welcome to the ladies of that time. He used to make Wain's place his headquarters when in North Saanich. RICHARD POR TWA Y was an Englishman. He was supposed to have owned the land that Peter Imrie and J. T. Mcllmoyle purchased, but seeing that the last named bought from Bishop Hills, then Partway must have sold to the Reverend gentleman and he in turn to Imrie and Mcllmoyle.

Partway went to the Cariboo and contributed nothing of interest further so far as Saanich is concerned.

GEORGE MENAGH and JAMES MENAGH were brothers from Eastern Canada. Like so many other settlers in Saanich they also had come West primarily to go gold mining. George Menagh bought 80 acres from Samuel Roberts. This piece of land or farm was almost opposite the present-day race track. He was later joined by his son Alec, who married Miss Michell. Alec was a millwright and worked at the Brackman Mill. James Menagh in 1869 bought 160 acres from George (Bishop) Hills. This land forms the southern part of Sidney as it is today. He paid Bishop Hills $640 for this tract of land. In 1873 he sold it to Samuel Brethour. It is believed that he again went back to the mine or back East. OCT A VIUS OMMANEY. it would seem. was the first purchaser of the land that comprises the southern part of Sidney. 36 As far as can be ascertained he never resided on it. It was he who sold to Bishop Hills.

RIGHT REVEREND BISHOP HILLS, Bishop of British Columbia, arrived at Esquimalt in 1860 and walked through the mud to Victoria. He held a service in Christ Church the same day. He was particularly interested in land in North Saanich. Not only did he purchase part of the present Sidney site but also the Mcllmoyle, Downey and Imrie farms and in addition 600 acres which later became the Ardmore Farm also the Downey Farm. Of course he never did any improvement on this land unless through a lessee, and it must be concluded that it was just speculation on behalf of the church or some of it deeded to the church.

WILLIAM HARRISON, born in Cheshire, England, left his native country in the year 1851 and landed in New Orleans, U.S.A. With him were his two brothers, Eli and George. From New Orleans they sailed by river steamer up the Mississippi to Fort Bridger, where they joined up with a caravan party across the plains and mountains to Salt Lake City. This took them six months. They stayed with the Mormons till spring, then headed for California and did some gold mining on the American River. In 1885 they landed at Esquimalt. William went gold mining up the Fraser for a few years. He came back to Victoria and then went out to Saanich and bought a farm of 153 acres. It was on the east of the Holden farm and in those days was named Sunnyside Farm.

Today it is called Wilsona Farm. The old Victoria and Sidney Railway cut through the farm and William and his sons took a contract to supply cord-wood to burn in the engines. William Harrison was married before coming to the Colony. There were five children, Samuel G., Frances Jane, Solomon E., Ben W. and William Henry. The latter is living at the time of writing. Eli Harrison, a brother, carried on business as a painter and stayed in Victoria. He was the grandfather of a recent mayor of the city.

GEORGE HARRISON, a brother of those mentioned in this narrative, shared with them the various journeyings and also arrived in Victoria in 185 8. Here he found a gold mine but not of metal. Victoria had no water supply, so George Harrison started a successful business hauling and selling this most necessary items. In the early seventies he purchased land in Saanich, and in 1876 sold his water business md went out there to live permanently. The farm consisted of 50 acres and was situated almost exactly opposite the present Fair Grounds. The house he built is still in occupation. He was a churchwarden of St. Stephen's Church, in which there is a tablet to his memory. He was also a school trustee for Saanich School for many years. Keenly interested in agriculture it was only natural that he would be a valued member of the Agricultural Society. George Harrison married a Miss Mary Porter, who was born on Burnside Road in 1856. She was one of the early pupils of Craigflower School. They had eleven children, seven girls and four boys. All the boys died at birth or in their infancy. The girls were Alice May, who died at the age of seventeen, Annie Eliza (Mrs. Ferguson), Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Capt. Byers) , Eva Maud (Mrs. Roberts), Ellen Augusta (Mrs. Nelson), Edith Mabel, Irene Gertrude (Mrs. White). Mrs. Harrison died at the early age of forty-five in 1901, and Mr. Harrison in 1916. They are buried in St. Stephen's cemetery.

GEORGE BROWN and his son George Arthur owned a farm on and about Doe Ridge. This ridge is more or less an extension of Bear Hill. The southern part of Central Saanich Road now runs along its base and then curves over it to the East Road . It was near this location that the Brown farm was situated. George Brown was, or aped the style of, an English squire. Oldtimers say they were bookish and religious. They both appear on the 18 7 5 voters' list and the son is listed until 1898, after which they disappear. The son died in St. Joseph's Hospital, Victoria, B.C. It is not known that he was ever married. XAVIER MARCOTTE left his native Quebec in 1862 with a friend named Pappilon or Pappilot. After the usual weary and difficult crossing of the continent they eventually arrived in Victoria the same year and immediately made preparations to go gold mining up the Fraser. Making it a party of four they secured a canoe and their adventures on the journey is a story in itself. After a couple of trips or so to the goldfields Xavier Marcotte went out to Saanich and bought two sections of land.

Pappilo, as he was generally called, and no one seems to know if he had a first or Christian name, must have been in on the deal at first, as they both appear on the assessment roll in 1864. They both married daughters of Louis Trudelle, after which Pappilo took up a pre-emption on San Juan. Marcotte later purchased more land from an American family and thus increased his farm to 5 60 acres. It is situated on the north side of Mt. Newton Cross Road and 400 acres of it is now the Pickles farm. It stretched north over the No. 1 survey line, so that part of the farm was in North Saanich. The Marcottes had a family of nine children, Ellen, Felix, Celina, Peter (died young), Edward H. still living and farming at Metchosin. Frank, Joe, Clara (Mrs. Rouleau). Celina was married in the States and the family lost track of her. Xavier Marcotte was a big, powerful man and a hard worker. They were devout Catholics and both he and his wife and other members of the family are buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery on the West Road.

HUGH MUNRO and his wife Christine, after their marriage, left Scotland and settled in Ontario, where all their children were born, six girls and two boys. They were Isabelle (Mrs. John Black) , Eliza (Mrs. Charlie Neaves), Catherine (died young), Annie (Mrs. William McDowell), Christina (Mrs. Derrinberg), Alexander, Mary (first Mrs. G. Dawson) then (Mrs. M. Anderson), and William. In 1864 the whole family, with other relatives, returned to Scotland then, after a few months, emigrated to New Zealand, then Australia, where they stayed about five years, then they started wandering again via Honolulu to San Francisco, finally landing in Victoria in June, 18 70. In the fall of that year Hugh Munro bought a farm on James Island and took his family there. Most of Hugh Munro's life up to that time had been taken up with school-teaching. He evidently abandoned his profession as a school-master on James Island, except to tutor his own children. J

OHN IRVING. A letter addressed to this man, then living in England, from J. D. Pemberton, states that 159 acres had been allotted to him about fifteen miles from Victoria. The reason for the odd acreage was due to the fact that it abutted on the sea. There is little information to be gleaned about him and it is doubtful if he ever resided in the district. There is a Peter Irving on the 1874 voters' list for North Saanich, but whether there is any connection is not known. It is likely he was a naval or seafaring man.

A. C. ANDERSON was a Hudson's Bay man. He came out to North Saanich in or around 1858. He and his son James bought together over 600 acres of land on the south side of Wain's Cross Road, starting from about the middle of it and then westward. James afterward became Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Alex, the elder brother, took over the management of both farms. In addition to these two there were three other sons, Walter, Allan and Arthur, and two girls, Agnes (Mrs. Captain Gordon), and Rose, a spinster. On the 18 5 9 voters' list A. C. Anderson's address was given as Victoria with 20 acres freehold , yet on the 1861 assessment roll Anderson and his son James were assessed for eight sections. On the 1874 voters' list A. C. Anderson still gives his address as Victoria, although his name appears on the North Saanich list, and Alex, his son, is also on the North Saanich list with the address of Rosebank Farm, North Saanich.

JOHN THOMAS HARRISON came to the U.S.A. from Norfolk, England, with his father when just a little boy. He and his sister (Mrs. San dover) came to Saanich in 18 71. He lived with Mr. Turgoose for some years. He later purchased a farm in North Saanich abutting on the East Road and west along the McTavish Road on the south side. He married Rose Thomas, daughter of George Thomas, a Saanich pioneer. They had a family of four children-Neva Pearl (Mrs. Roy Brethour) , Herbert William, Wilfrid Stephen, Edith Fanny Gertrude (Mrs. Joseph Mitchell) . John Thomas Harrison was a councillor on the old North Saanich Municipality.

GEORGE THOMAS came out to Fort Victoria with the H.B.C. on the sailing ship "Tory" in 1851. When rounding the Horn they encountered rough and contrary winds and were driven back and off course to such an extent that it took them six weeks before getting back again to Cape Horn. He was a carpenter for the H.B.C. for five years. He did other work after this around Victoria, including acting as guard on the stage between Esquimalt and Fort Victoria. In 1863 he married Miss Watson of Victoria, then moved out to North Saanich on a farm on the south side of Downey Road. This farm was part of the land acquired by Bishop Hills. It afterward became part of the Downey farm. Both of Thomas' children were born here. They later bought a farm at Tod Inlet, South Saanich. Part of this farm is now the famous Butchart Gardens. George Thomas deeded three acres of land as a school site for Mrs. Stephen Butler and with other neighbors assisted in building a house, one room of which was used as a classroom. After the public school was built on the West Road this classroom was used by Mrs. Butler as a private school for girls. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were devout Anglicans and when in North Saanich used to travel all the way to St. Stephen's Church. In those days that was quite a trip to make. They were instrumental in building St. Mary's Church at Saanichton. Mrs. Thomas canvassed Victoria to collect money for the project. Their children were Fanny Rosa (Mrs. John Thomas Harrison) and Sarah Elizabeth Agnes (Mrs. George Simpson).

DONALD McDONALD was born in Rosshire, Scotland, 1825. He emigrated to Canada in 1852 and settled in Ontario. In 1858, attracted by the tales of the goldfields, he left for British Columbia via the Panama Isthmus. He arrived in Esquimalt in the spring of 1859 and proceeded straight to the gold fields. He tried his luck for several seasons, mostly in the Williams Creek area. He nearly lost his life on one of these trips up the Fraser. He was one of the partners of the Lightning Company who took over and worked the Discovery Claim on Lightning Creek. James Hagan was another of these partners. In 1871 he journeyed back to Scotland to marry the girl he had left behind, a Miss McKenzie of Inverness. In 1872 he came back to Victoria and in the spring of 1873 went out to North Saanich and bought 370 acres of land from John (Dutchy) Smith. This land included the Resthaven Area and the All Bay Sub-Division. McDonald was a community spirited man. He was one of the committee that sponsored and built an Institute Hall. It was called the North Saanich Mechanic's Literary Institute. It really was a social club. It was in this hall that the first school classes were held. He was a trustee of the first public school in North Saanich and he remained in this office till his death.

He was a Justice of the Peace for North Saanich and a director of the North and South Saanich Agricultural Society. The 24th of May picnics were always held at the McDonald farm on Shoal Harbour. On a 41 site donated by McDonald a grist mill was erected and operated by Brackman and Milne, later Brackman-Ker. Donald McDonald died in 18 9 7 and Mrs. McDonald in 1909. They are both buried in Patricia Bay Cemetery. They raised a family of eight children,-Helen (Mrs. Argyle), Margaret ( died young) , Alexander, Anne (died young) , Janet (Mrs. E. Wilkinson), Christina (Mrs. H. Musgrave), Celina (Mrs. Rankin), and Colin. Alex became an M.L.A. for Saanich.

JAMES HAGAN was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1833. In 1854 he emigrated to New York, U.S.A., and worked at various jobs in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. With the civil war in the States in the offing, he moved west to California, working in that State for a time until the lure of gold tempted him also, in 1861, to come north and try his luck on the Fraser River. Until the spring of 1862 he worked at road making around Saanich then set out for the Cariboo. Like many others he endured all the hardships and bad luck of the miners, but eventually in partnership with five others, purchased a claim at Lightning Creek and went heavily in debt and almost gave up in despair when they struck gold and a very rich strike at that. Three of his partners also returned to these parts to live. Donald McDonald in North Saanich and Peter and Adam Clendenning at Cedar Hill.

Now, with money in his pocket, he returned to the Eastern States, where an Irish lass, also from Tyrone, must have been there awaiting him. After their marriage they returned to the Cariboo. The company worked the mine for another year then sold out and returned to Victoria. In 1872 he went out to Saanich and bought the old McPhail homestead. In 1881 his first wife died, leaving him with four children, Lawrence, Rose, Susan (became a nun, Sister M. Lucretia), Margaret (also a nun, Sister M. Theda) of the Sisterhood of St. Ann. He remarried in 1883 Miss Virginia Rey. There were four daughters by this marriage, Virginia (Mrs. A. C. Lovick), Helen, Isabelle, Caroline (Mrs. J. McClive). James Hagan took an active interest in community life. He was a valued member of the Agricultural Society and a school trustee for many years. For twenty-one years he acted as postmaster of the Hagan Post Office. He died in 1913 and Lawrence, his son, carried on the farm with his two sisters, Rose and Helen. Larry, as he was usually known, was a councilor for Ward Six of the Saanich Municipality for many years.

JOHN NEWBIGGING farmed the Coulter place north of Wain's Cross Road. He married Miss Agnes Wain. He did not stay there long but went to Victoria and worked in a dairy, then back to North Saanich to work for Brackman in the mill. When the milling firm moved to Victoria he went back with them. The Newbiggings had four children, James, Arnott, Leonard and Gladys (died single) . JOSEPH DUPUIS was the first man buried in the Catholic Cemetery of the Church of the Assumption, Saanich. He was hand-logging on the beach and died of a heart attack. He came out in the early days to work for the H.B.C. He does not appear to have owned any land and does not appear on any voters' list. He owned a team of oxen and went job ploughing for farmers.

WILLIAM HUTCHINGS, commonly known as "Brandy Bill," was a sailor who came out to North Saanich in the early days. He lived in a log cabin near the old Institute Hall, Wain's Cross Road. He also lived for a time on the Bradley Dyne Farm. He is on the 1875 voters' list and later, classified as laborer. JOHN HEMMING came out on the same ship that brought the framework of the Old Iron Church (St. John's) that stood where the H.B.C. store was later erected. He could have been an architect, as he had the plans in his possession for the fitting together of the church. At all events he was a highly educated man but alas fond of liquor. It is said that he refused to give up the plans at first and that Bishop Hills was forced to give him one hundred pounds before he would surrender them. He married an Indian girl and worked around Saanich and other parts of the Island. The family of two sons both died of pneumonia. The name of the ship that brought out the iron church was "Athelstan," which arrived at Victoria in February, 1860.

HOWARD ESTES was one of the colored settlers. He owned a farm that Thomas Michell bought, and his son the same lots East, that later became the Dawson Farm. They 43 came the same time as the Alexanders. They were either freed or escaped slaves. They travelled across the continent in covered wagons and brought with them cattle and fruit trees. Mrs. Estes' father, Cooneys or Coones, was once coachman for the Governor of Kentucky, or so it was reported. Howard Estes' name appears on the 1874 voters' list but it must have been for the land that Jackson held, as the latter did not appear on the list at any time. Howard Estes is supposed to have gone to live on Salt Spring Island, but his son returned to the States.

LOREN LEWIS was another ex-slave who came out to Saanich in the early days and bought land from a man named Niss. There were two Niss' s on the 18 61 assessment roll as owners of 458 acres of land situated along Telegraph Road and south. The farm changed hands many times. Rey had part of it in later years and a man named Davis. Lewis was on the Voters' list up to 1877 as a farmer in South Saanich. "Evergreen" was the name of the farm. There is some doubt, though, as to whether he still was living on the place at that time, as a man named Jackson was on the voters' list of 18 7 4 for a part, at least, of the same farm, although Jackson is on the list for that year only.

JESSE McMILLAN appears on the voters' list from 1875 to 1882, but not later. He also came from the Southern States. He had fifty acres that was later the Jock Patterson place and again it might previously have belonged to Cawthen. McMillan married a Davis girl. They had no family but adopted a son, Abner Thomas. Jesse McMillan grew his own tobacco from seed he brought with him from the South. The growing of tobacco in Saanich did not, however, reach any large proportions, but it might be a thought for the future. McMillan is buried in St. Stephen's Cemetery. GEORGE EDGAR DENNES was an English solicitor, the first to be admitted to practice that profession on Vancouver Island. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Salt Spring District from 1863 to l 866, when he left the country and went to New South Wales. He died in 1871.

HUGH McKENZIE was born in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, 1811, a son of Scotch Highland emigrants to that province. At the age of fifty he set out for California and started sheep farming in the Sacramento Valley. A flood wiped 44 out his flock. He returned to Nova Scotia. The wanderlust again seized him, so once more at the age of sixty-six he started out for new lands, this time via Union Pacific and San Francisco to Victoria. This was in the year 1877. He settled on land in the Prospect Lake District. Heals Rifle Range of today is located on part of the farm. On the death of his wife in 1885 he again went back to Nova Scotia, but could not settle down there. He returned to Saanich in 18 8 9. He was then seventy-eight years of age. He died in 1889. Both Mr. and Mrs. McKenzie were buried in St. Stephen's.

ALEXANDER McKENZIE first came out to Saanich in 1873, but he did not stay then. He was the second son of Hugh McKenzie. In 1874 he joined the gold rush to Cassiar. After this he worked on survey parties, seeking a route through the Rockies for the C.P.R. Prior to that he had worked for some months at the coal mines on Newcastle Island. On one of his return trips to Saanich he met and married Helen Thomson of Bannockburn. They were married Christmas Day, 1880. He had previously bought land in Saanich, but he did not do much in the way of agriculture, but engaged in construction, logging and survey work all over the province. He got to know the province from one boundary to another. He retired from active work in 1924 and settled down on his farm. They had a family of eight children- Hugh W. D., Lilian Edith (Mrs. R. E. Nimmo), Margaret Helen (Mrs. A. D. J. Pitts), Mildred M. M. (Mrs. Ibbetson), Jessie Theresa (Mrs. H. E. Kennedy), Hazel Grace (died young), Doris May (Mrs. Allen Dorman) , Roderick Murray. Many of the family are resident in the district and joining and helping to further all community projects. The youngest son has returned to the old homestead. The McKenzies are buried in St. Stephen's Cemetery.

PETER IMRIE was born at Granville, Ontario. He came to the Coast in 1862. For a few years he went mining in the Cariboo, Cassiar and Leech River districts. He started farming in North Saanich in 1867. The farm was located alongside the Mcllmoyles, in fact Imrie and Mcllmoyle were sort of partners at the beginning, or until they both got married. Peter Imrie took an active part in the public affairs of the district. He was one of the promoters of the Agricultural Society and a director on the Saanich Fair Board, sponsored by that 45 Society. He was also a school trustee for many years and a road foreman during the De Cosmos administration. He married a native girl and they had a family of five children-(Mrs. William Lannon), (Mrs. Louis Herber), William John, (Mrs. Bernard Weeks), and (Mrs. Henry Muench). JAMES WILSON THOMSON was not exactly an old pioneer of Saanich, although he did come out to Saanich in the seventies, but for a different reason. It was to court a daughter of pioneer Sluggett, Miss Annie Sluggett, whom he married. He was a school teacher by profession. He taught Sumas and Chilliwack schools on the mainland then returned to Victoria and taught at Royal Oak and Boys' Central School in Victoria. Later he taught at Cedar Hill. The late Premier Tolmie and many of the descendants of the North Saanich pioneers were his pupils.

While teaching at North Saanich he rented the Menagh farm and put it under the management of Louis Verdier. He went back to the mainland, went into business, then to school teaching again, opening up the first school at Revelstoke. He then took a turn at mining and helped in the locating of Thomson's Landing, afterward known as Beaton. M. Beaton was for many years his partner. He sold out and moved back to Saanich in 1907. At one time he owned land at Keating, later the Tanner and Stewart property extending to the East Road. Before retiring he taught for two years at Salt Spring. The Thomson's children were Henrietta G. (died young), Mabel E. (Mrs. Evans), Frederick Lorne, Florence Pearl (Mrs. Claude Butler), Ruby May (died young) , Roy W. Laura Dell (died young), Ozella (Mrs. Petch). Among other public duties, James Thomson was postmaster and Justice of the Peace and Notary Public in West Kootenay from 1891 to 1906. His son, F . Lorne Thomson, lives on the old Sluggett homestead and was one of the promoters of Central Saanich Municipality and a member of its first council. Many other descendants are residing in the district.

CHARLES ALEXANDER was born in St. Louis in 1824. With his wife and two young children, in company with four friends and a guide, he crossed the plains in a covered wagon drawn by a four-yoke bullock team. They had a hazardous and difficult journey, including a brush with the Indians. Charles Alexander worked in the California gold mines for a time. Not meeting with much success he left California on 46 the ship Oregon, July 1858, bound for Victoria. In 1861 he tried his luck again gold mining along the Fraser River. He met with success and returned to Victoria and thence to South Saanich in the fall of the same year and bought a farm near Shady Creek. They farmed in this district for thirty-three years. They were a deeply religious family and Charles and his family were among the chief promoters and supporters of the old Shady Creek Methodist Church. He helped to build the first public schoolhouse in South Saanich and was a school trustee for some years. He also assisted in the formation of a Temperance Society and the Agricultural Society. In later years they moved to the Swan Lake District, where they celebrated their golden wedding in 1909. The Alexander family were Martha, Agnes, James, Thomas, Lucretia (Mrs. Mortimer) , Charles, William, Frederick, Henry, George and John. Charles Alexander and his wife lived to eighty-nine and seventy-eight respective.

JOHN GREIG owned the land in and around Tod Inlet. He was born in Burness, Orkney Islands, Scotland, and named his property at Tod Inlet Burness Farm. He was an employee of the H.B.C. in the central provinces and while in their employ walked the entire distance to the coast. He left the company and bought land at Parson's Bridge and went into business as a lime burner. In 1870 he came out to Saanich, probably carrying on the business of lime burner at Tod Inlet, which could possibly have been the forerunner of the Cement Company which sprang up there and paved the way for Butchart Gardens. He married a Miss Margaret Goudie, the daughter of a H.B.C. man who came to Fort Vancouver in 1829. Greig was a good fiddler and contributed to the social functions of the district and was of course in great demand at dances. The Greigs had a large family of eleven children, John, Robert, Margaret (Mrs. Wm. Lidgate), later (Mrs. Arthur Reynard), James, Mary (Mrs. Wm. Simpson), Tom (died young), William George (died young), Frank, Emily (Mrs. Hubert Steele), later (Mrs. Charles Johnston) , and Donald.

FRANK GRAVELLE owned a farm in the Michell Valley, near the Estes' property, in fact he sold fifty acres of it to Howard Estes. This later became part of the Michell property and it is where they built their original homestead. It still remains a Michell homestead but with a new and modern 47 home. Gravelle came to Fort Victoria and worked for the H.B.C. He was one of the French-Canadians hired by Douglas to do labour work around the fort. He married Mary McPhaiL a daughter of Angus McPhail. It is said that after his death his sons went to live on the Indian Reserve. They had probably married Indian girls. Gravelle does not appear on the 18 61 assessment roll, nor on the early voters' lists. The deed of the sale of land to Howard Estes was applied for in December, 1862, and registered January 9th, 1863. The price he received from Estes for the fifty acres was $250, and it had to be paid in United States Gold Coin.

HENRY YOUNG is shown on the 1874 voters' list for the Lake poll as having a farm named Beaver Lake. He operated a Post Office for many years on Keating Hill, some distance south of the present Keating Cross Road. He was a steam engineer and ran the threshing engine for Thos. Michell or anyone else who owned a steam outfit. He was a good fiddler. JAMES NOLAN is on the assessment roll for 1861 as owning the land on the south of Keating Cross Road. He did not appear to have resided there very long, if at all. The land was later sold to Thomas Graham, who farmed it for many years.

GEORGE ARCHIBALD Mc TAVISH came to the Pacific Coast in 1873 via San Francisco on the S.S. Prince Rupert. He purchased a farm of 640 acres from Sir Joseph Needham. This was later known as the Ardmore Estate. Part of it is now the Ardmore Golf Course. The McTavish's named it Invertavish. G. A. McTavish married a daughter of the Hon. J. S. Helmcken and in 1876 moved out to the farm. This was in all probability the first nursery to be operated in Saanich or on the Island. In 1890 McTavish moved to the city and opened up a nursery there. It was in the vicinity of, or rather bounded by Rupert, Humboldt, Vancouver Street and Heywood Avenue. The McTavish family were J . A. McTavish, D. D. McTavish, Rita C. (Mrs. D. C. Hughes), C. S. McTavish, and Dorothy C. (Mrs. E. Heddie). George McTavish's was the first farm in Saanich to install a telephone. This line ran from the Brackman Mill to the McTavish Farm and thence to town. McTavish had to keep the line in order from his place to the town of Victoria.

GEORGE STELLY was born in Switzerland, 1825. The news of the discovery of gold lured him to California. He first worked in or around St. Louis and then to California, in 1854. They journeyed overland by the usual mode of that day, having a fight with the Indians en-route. When the Fraser River excitement broke out he joined in the rush aboard the steamer "Oregon," which landed them in Esquimalt May, 1858. He did not enjoy much success on the Fraser but returned to Victoria dead broke. He worked around Victoria at various jobs then bought a mule and two wheels, on which he mounted a barrel. He then started selling water to the residents. He became known as "George the Waterman." Later he went into the dray business, then in 1869 he went out to Saanich and bought a farm on the westerly end of Stelly's Cross Road. He was instrumental in getting this road put through, thus it was named after him. The Stelly's had one son, George F., who went to Cowichan and died there in 1913. Stelly himself did not farm much, for he had set himself up in a dray and livery business in Victoria and did some contracting. Etienne Verdier ran his ranch for some years, after which Frank Verdier bought it.

J. D. BRYANT came out to South Saanich in the late sixties and bought a farm from Alex F. Main. It was situated along the northeast end of Stelly's Cross Road. He named it Rosedale. He was an excellent farmer, which is why perhaps he helped to instigate the Agricultural Society and the Saanich Fair. He was President at one time. They did not have a family, but a nephew of Mrs. Bryant, George Cawthen, had a farm on the north side of Stelly's Cross Road and probably worked with the Bryants. The Bryants came from Lincolnshire, England. Having no offspring the information about them is scant. The nephew was lost at sea on his way back from a trip to England. The oldtimers who remember the Bryant farm declare it was a show place.

ALPHONSE VERDIER and ETIENNE VERDIER came out to Saanich about 18 5 6 and lived on the farm of Angus McPhail. a part of which they purchased. As it has been seen, Alphonse Verdier married a daughter of McPhail named Anne. Some time later his brother Etienne joined him. These two brothers, together with other brothers who remained in the States, came to America from France in the late 1840's 49 and were among the 1849ers who trekked across the continent to the gold fields of California. Alphonse came to Victoria in 1852 and Etienne probably in 1853. When gold was discovered up the Fraser they joined the canoe parade. Like many others they did not find the pot of gold, but they were handy men and earned good money. They returned to Victoria and Alphonse went out to the farm, but Etienne worked around Victoria and became friendly with George Stelly.

Later, when the McPhail farm was sold to Hagen, Alphonse bought 'the Deeks' farm on what is now Stelly's Cross Road and Etienne came out and lived on the Stelly Ranch. In the meantime, Etienne had married Honora Kilroy, who was one of the girls who came out to Victoria on the bride ship "Tynemouth," 1862. Alphonse Verdier's family were Josephine (Mrs. Hefferman), then (Mrs. Barnes), Eliza (Mrs. Robinson), Lizzie (Mrs. Curran), Frances (Mrs. LeFortune), and John. Etienne Verdier's family were Ellen (Mrs. Tom Hance), Frances (Mrs. St. Louis), Stephen, Thomas, John Joseph, Anne Margaret (Mrs. Lacoursiere), George and Frank. The latter bought the Stelly farm and his daughter, Mrs. Dignan, still resides on the property. Verdier Avenue, Brentwood, is named after them, in fact this was blazed by them and used as a skid road for their logs to the waterfront. Frank also scouted the original road over the Malahat.

WILLIAM R. ARMSTRONG came to North Saanich in the early seventies and purchased a part of the McDonald farm. He was a native of Three rivers, Quebec, or came from there. The farm took in the Resthaven and All Bay area and the Maples was the original Armstrong home. He was a wheelwright by trade and made some of the first wagons that trundled the old trails of North Saanich. He took an active part in community affairs. He helped to organize the first Methodist Church and was the last Reeve of the short-lived Municipality of North Saanich. The Armstrong children were Mary Della, William Charlie and Martha (Mrs. Johnny Michell). Mary died while still in her twenties and was not married. William Armstrong later moved to New Westminster and died there.

REV. JAMES REYNARD landed in Esquimalt about 1866. He was from Yorkshire, England. His wife, who came with him, was a native of Devonshire, England. The "Royal Tar" was the name of the ship they came on. He was assigned as Curate of Saanich and was the first Anglican minister to live in the district. He had charge of St. Stephen's Church and took services in the Institute Hall in North Saanich as well. He died in June, l 8 7 5, two years after he came to Saanich and is buried in St. Stephen's cemetery. He left his young widow with a family of seven children, one a mere infant. They were George, Eva May (Mrs. Davis), Steven, Cuthbert, Arthur, Marmaduke and Catherine. Arthur married William Lidgate's widow and lived on the old Lidgate farm.

Pete Warren bought it next and grew the first bulbs on this farm that were planted in South Saanich on a commercial scale. As we have seen, Wooldridge had started before that in North Saanich. JOHN OTTO was of German extraction, who came out to Saanich in the early days. Little is known of his family life, but he is remembered by the old-timers because of his ability as a carpenter. He knew the way to build a hop kiln properly and consequently supervised and helped to build most of the hop kilns in the district. It is said that J. J. Downey, who wanted to get the plans for building a kiln, had to make Otto drunk before he would divulge them. He does not appear to have owned any land but he is on an early voters' list.

ROBERT BROWN had a farm in North Saanich near the McTavish Road and the East Road. It is thought that it was the farm that Thomas Harrison later purchased. It was on this farm that the North and South Saanich Agricultural Society held their .first Fair and Robert Brown was the .first President. The Browns were rather an elderly couple with no family. They moved to Victoria after they sold the farm. Though little can be remembered of these folk, Robert Brown's memory will be kept green through the Saanich Fair and the Society he helped to instigate. If his ghost hovered over the 90th fair in 1958 then I am sure it would have been well satisfied with the progress it has made down through the years.